NASA and SpaceX are now targeting no earlier than 11:35 a.m. EDT (8:35 a.m. PDT) on Friday, October 14, for the Crew-4 undocking from the (ISS) to begin their return trip to Earth completing a nearly six-month science mission in orbit. Splashdown is targeted several hours later at approximately 4:50 p.m. off the coast of Florida. Mission teams continued to monitor a cold front passing through Florida on Thursday, October 13, which brought high winds and rainy weather near the splashdown zones off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Current weather predictions are showing greater forecast certainty Friday due to a high-pressure system behind the cold front. This is expected to bring more favorable conditions for splashdown and recovery. NASA and SpaceX will continue to monitor splashdown and recovery conditions with another weather review planned for approximately eight hours before undocking. Teams also will evaluate multiple options for undocking opportunities Friday and Saturday. Crew-4’s Dragon undocking depends on a variety of factors, including spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, sea states, weather, and other factors. Dragon Freedom remains healthy while currently docked to the orbiting lab. NASA will provide live coverage of the upcoming return activities for the Crew-4 mission with NASA astronauts Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren, and Jessica Watkins, as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. Dragon’s hatch closing, undocking, and splashdown coverage will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. NASA also will host an audio-only post-splashdown news teleconference. Follow all live events at: https://www.nasa.gov/live NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 return coverage is as follows (all times Eastern): Friday, October 14 9:30 a.m. – Hatch closure coverage begins for the approximately 9:55 a.m. hatch closing11:15 a.m. – Undocking coverage begins for 11:35 a.m. undocking with a Friday splashdown4:50 p.m. (approximately) – Splashdown off the coast of Florida6:30 p.m. – Return to Earth media teleconference call from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston with:
Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in FloridaJoel Montalbano, manger, International Space Station, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in HoustonSarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX
